Saturday, August 1, 2009

Live Blogging The Camping World Trucks From Nashville, TN (7:30PM - SPEED)

Krista Voda starts the telecast off for SPEED with the pre-race show from Nashville at 7:30PM. Ray Dunlap and Adam Alexander are the reporters.

Rick Allen, Phil Parsons and Michael Waltrip are going to call the race. This trio is going to be faced with a limited field that may struggle a bit to put on a good event. Most fans are well aware of the economic challenges that have put a real dent in this great series.

Look for SPEED to keep the emphasis on the racing at the front of the pack among the fulltime competitive teams. This is a good track for the trucks and fits the profile of the series when it was first created.

SPEED has long used the old school approach to this racing coverage. No gimmicks or gizmos, just coverage of the event as it unfolds with the emphasis on the teams and the drivers.

Waltrip brings his colorful personality to the coverage and can be a tremendous asset or a tough liability. Left to wander into sponsor-driven commentary, Waltrip takes himself out of the telecasts with his shilling. When he is focused on the race and focusing the attention on the track, Allen can get some great analysis from this veteran.

This post will serve to host your comments about the CWTS coverage from Nashville on SPEED. To add your TV-related comments, just click on the comments button below. This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind when posting. Thanks for taking the time to stop by.

152 comments:

JD, since its raining in Nashville, not heavy rain but enough to wet things out here, will the start be delayed? The radar looked nasty for later if all that stuff comes north east. Good thing about this track, it dries very quickly. Gotta love that concrete!

Slightly off topic but, I was flipping through the channels going to Speed from ESPN. As I passed Vs saw some guy wreck the heck out of a cow.Probably the only reason people watch that rodeo stuff is for the cow crashes.

But it is a rain delay. See Hornaday with the grocery bags? When we were little my mom used to put bread loaf bags on our feet under our boots when we went to play in the snow...I'm aging myself, no waterproof stuff in those days. But it was funny. He was still holding the bags on pit road.

Mr Editor I believe track is located SE of Nashville in Gladeville ...radar shows light rain moving SW to NE through area ...looks like a window may ope about 815 or so ...of course, track will still need to be dried ...I'll research further to see what may be further down the line

I'm in Hermitage, just outside of downtown Nashville and only about 15 miles by the interstate from Gladeville. It looks like there is a very light rain in the area that is supposed to be lighter until about 9pm.

IndyCar in hurry-up mode at KY. Cars are on pit road uncovered with weather on its way. I still can't decide which to focus on. I'd rather be here with you guys, but if the open wheelers get rolling first...

re: Kyle interviewAt least Mike got a comment from him ...it was obvious Kyle wanted to be anywhere other than in front of a microphone ...wonder how many of the books he's read off the Coach's recommended reading list LOL

Maybe the new rule changes will help the IRL races be more competetive. Lately it has been which Gannasi or Penske car was going to win. Nascar is my first passion but i like all motorsports and watch all of the series. I hate to see them struggle. Here's hopeing for two great DRY races tonight.

so many choices: irl, trucks and our daughters are watching x-games. someone better impress me pretty quickly -- and i'm banking on the truck guys to get rid of the nasty taste in my mouth from espn's iowa mess.

speaking of car counts JD. Bestwick was on with Moody and said he wouldn't be surprised if we have short fields within the next 6 weeks. Do you think the S&P guys in each series can make enough money to keep showing up or will they stay home. I'm not really sure if i would be upset haveing 38 cars show up to start since we usually get there within 25-30 laps anyway. what do you tink?

@bevo -I'm with you ...I've downed my Claritin, now where did I put my Adderal ...at least, IRL has ol' pro Bob Jenkins at the helm ...interesting byplay between Robbie Buell and Ian/Jan (Yan) Beekius adds to this follow-the-leader series

Much like Rusty needing Marty to keep him in check, DW needs Mike Loy to do the same. Nothing against Rick but DW needs to be steered down the right path and calmed down to let someone else get a word in.

ok, so i felt guilty about abandoning the trucks and came back to watch in-car terry cook run a lap or two w/ no one around him (second time this broadcast); hearing only the waltrips; seeing single car shots.

I'm with @Bevo. No spoilers from either: Good amount of excitement/animation from the booth at the IRL race. Jenkins is the consumate pro while Robbie offers great driver's perspective. Too bad there aren't more cars, but the cameras definitely follow the battles (even during the commercials with the non-stop action (pic-n-pic).

I can just barely stand one Waltrip in the booth. Two is one-and-a-half too many. It's too bad, because I totally enjoyed DW when he's in thoughtful mode like he was a couple of weeks ago on Wind Tunnel. DW calling this race isn't enjoyable.

@red,as I understand, it comes down to advertising/commercial dollars. there was a time when IndyCars were paying to be on TV (or so I heard). With NASCAR, the sponsors pay enough for our undivided attention (no PnP).

only glitch in the networks' PiP position is: i don't watch the commercials during a race. i mute the tv and work the laptop and rarely watch until some freak internal clock tells me it's time to bring the sound back up.

and i don't have a dvr. imagine the drop rate with those folks.

so, their argument is fallacious: they spend more money and . . . i don't watch. irl does PiP and i keep the sound up and watch at least parts of the commercial -- depending on the on-track situation.

it's a new world and the networks are thinking about broadcasting in the same old way.

On the upside, only 10 days until I get TSN2 so I can watch more IRL and Nationwide races! Yay!

For now, I think I'll go take a shower. It's very hot here on the Left Coast. Don't the weather gods know this is a temperate rainforest? We haven't had rain for over a month. This whole province is gonna go up in flames, soon.

See, I'm so bored I'm babbling about the weather. Sheesh. Sorry. I'll be back for the end of the race.

Plus, TNT is using the NASCAR audience to advertise their other programming to bring more advertising dollars to those prime time shows. they bet on more people tuning into the wide open coverage, hoping more people return for 'Leverage' and ask higher rates for their advertisers.

Red, it was tested by TBS in 2000 at the fall Charlotte race but unfortunately since 2001 was a new contract with a MASSIVE pricetag, everyone wanted to get the most out of their dollars.

Think of what you get for an IRL commercial vs NASCAR. IRL commercials are a majority of IRL promos, Honda commercials, Ethanol, and Firestone where NASCAR has many more advertisers to have to please and come to terms with.

Sucks, I wish we had it because it would be nice but at the same time I get why it doesn't happen and don't hold my breath on it. As long as they break back in when something happens and don't ill time them, commercials don't usually bug me too bad.

Most answers on why we don't have PIP commercials is lip service by NASCAR and partners. Facts are facts, the advertisers want the most for the bucks they spend. I think its pushing 100K for 30 seconds during the Daytona 500, maybe 200K

I missed the weather. My new rescue kitten (now 11 wks, had since he was 8, named Stewart :) ) has been begging for a piece of hamburger I just cooked so I gave him a tiny bit. Never had a kitten beg for food the way this guy does...must have been really hungry before being found in the country, but I digress. He gets kitten food or course.

Ok I am seeing all sorts of cheaper looking commercials on the full screen...I guess Full screen is local and side by side National?

Still think NASCAR should consider this..isn't a smaller percentage better than none for all involved?I dont' DVR either but when we tape IRL guess what, we WATCH commercials.

Not true in NASCAR.

Everytime I turn on the truck race there is neither Waltrip talking. wow..must be my timing. Ok, I lied, I hear Mikey..back to IRL

We were eating dinner watching the truck pre-race and that awful commercial came on and my husband was really upset with it and couldn't believe it was on tv. Ok now watching the race hope our guy has a top 3.

If it's the commercial I mentioned it's really pretty disgusting..and they all are but mercy! they need limits to the way they are allowed to word things.

Ok, this is annoying I have to turn stations between the two digital channels. I need to go back and TAPE the Trucks race but the kitten is asleep on my leg and I don't wanna move the baby.:-)Room mate is gone out to dinner so can't ask him.

It's fun following some IRL guys on Twitter and learning other languages.

so, have been watching trucks for 10 or so laps and i'm seeing a whole lotta shots of a single truck on the track w/ no one else around. ever now & again, i get 2 trucks on the screen together and then it switches to an in-truck of the following truck.and now a debris caution.

has it been better than this? 'cause my remote finger is twitching to turn back to versus . . .

but jd? i want to watch racing, ya' know? and tonight, unlike most race days/nights, i have choice: a tire strategy race w/my favorite racer having a shot at the win or speed and side by side racing being done by racers with among whom i have no favorite?

which would you pick?

now add the difference in broadcast quality and booth dynamic between the two and it becomes easier for me, especially since i sat thru that espn/iows fail.

RedI like Hornaday. It was just an observation of how good they are running. There was a lot of speculation of what would happen after Chevy pulled back. Good to see KH keep putting it on the track for him.

brad: agreed. sorry if it came across as me thinking you were frustrated by how well hornaday's been running: it wasn't. i'm glad for both hornaday and the harvicks and like these races that don't feature cup guys (if you get my drift.)

and as glad as i am for harvicks and hornaday, i am seriously missing benson.

jd: the irl race was a far better broadcast than the trucks for me, partially b/c of a better actual race but also b/c the irl booth actually called the race instead of chattering on all night. was there really no good racing on the track in TN? sure looked like a whole lotta single trucks running in a line.

Redwell i would like to tell you it will get better tomorrow. Unfortunatly, Pocono is typically not what you would call exciting and with JP doing the call. There are the ingredients to make a horrible day. Hope for dry skies and hope for the best broadcast they can piece together.

hey brad: i'm likely gonna pass on pocono tomorrow. as i say: not a good track in person and worse on espn. time for me to spend some time as a "life hobbyist" instead of being frustrated by espn's broadcasts.

I know its late guys, but I want to commend almost everyone for respecting those watching one or the other race on a delay. Only one spoiler in the whole bunch (and it wasn't a complete spoiler with 3 possibilities). It appears that the consensus is that the IndyCar race was a better broadcast than the trucks. Who'd a thunk it. Not only were Jenkins (what was ESPN thinking letting him go?) and Buell (sp?) a good combination of PxP and ex-racing commentator, but it seems the changes to the cars REALLY made the side-by-side racing and passing more exciting.